MODULE 2 Meaning and discourse in English

DISCOURSE FUNCTIONS TRANSACTION AND INTERACTION

Lecture 12

Functions of discourse
There are two important functions of any Form of discourse. These are:

Transactional nteractional
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Transactional and interactional

The aim of transactional language is to communicate a specific message Id like a cup of tea, please - Here you are Howards being eaten The aim of interactional language is to maintain a social relationship good morning good morning

Most discourse contains a mixture of transactional and interactional language

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Transctional ! nteractional "1# $ims and conse%uences

T&$'($)T O'$L

'TE&$)T O'$L

$im is for hearer to understand message correctly t has an effect on the world

$im is for hearer to feel that spea*er is friendly t does not ha!e an effect on the world
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Transactional ! nteractional "2# Typical conte+ts

T&$'($)T O'$L Doctor,patient )ustomer,-an* cler* Teacher,pupil

'TE&$)T O'$L .honing mum /isiting a friend in hospital )hatting at a -us stop nternet chat Tal*ing to the dog
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Transactional ! nteractional "3# Typical content

T&$'($)T O'$L how to ta*e the medicine how to open an account how to do fractions recipe details

'TE&$)T O'$L greetings coldness of the weather lateness of the -us prettiness of the -a-y

)af0 , Eli1a-eth23enny

Typical ch4stics of speech , repetition5 filler5 e+pressions of attitude5 simple le+is Transactional "Is that ..?; Ill have .. Can I have ? Well come back ..) nteractional "tag %uestions , havent I?, shall we? inclusi!e 6we78 laughs8 search for agreement8 lots of spea*er support and cooperation from all spea*ers $d9acency pairs "%uestion,answer# nsertion se%uence "with milk?) .referred responses .oliteness mar*ers

Conversations have both transactional and interactional elements The con!ersation in the caf0 is an e+ample of -oth transaction and interaction: The e+change -etween Eli1a-eth and the assistant is -asically transaction The e+change -etween Eli1a-eth and her friends in mainly interactional
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